The National tribune., 1887-09-29
DEPENDENT PENSION BILL.
New and Strong Argument In Its Favor.


EDITOR NATIONAL tribune: 1t appears to
me that the strongest argument for Relief
Pension Bill II would not call it a Dependent
Pension BID has been overlooked by all the wri-
tiers have seen. give you it as have spoken it
TO great many thousand people. In every
organization, under every call for troops, were
found men much the same as make up every
community. The energetic patient enduring
ambitious, and the tired, shiftless and unam-
bitious-thoso who from climatic or other rea-
sons. and from the removal of the necessity of
working for subsistence lost grip
This latter class would often 20 to breakfast
call with two tin plates, but could scent the
sick call star of. They would fall in for quinne
with the regularity of tho returning day and
the melancholy of an afflicted one. Continual
coming gave them acquaintance with the Sur
geon, persistence in afiiction secured detail in
hosptalOr rs Doctors Orderly, or something of
tho Sort while continual groaning often ended
in real sickness and sometimes death. Then,
too, this perpetual ailing brought the sufferers
To the constant notice of the company officers
so that they both knew them aud could not for
get them. When the war closed, by these
means the average poor soldier had a good
bankable capital for a pension, and many Of
these have used il we'll. These men do not
ask for, nor need nor would they be benefited by,
Relief Pension Bill. But class No. was in
the majority; he would not be sick. III he
were he staid away from the breakfast call, and
avoided the sick call rs he would a calamity
When the Orderly told him to go the Doctor, LIE
was emphatieally told that he would 20 to -
first and so he crawled out on picket, or stood
his time on guard. il he could hold his head
up. If the regiment marched he marched, if
tho others carried his gun. If it fought he
fought with them.
Ii he was not able to do these things here,
he begged that the company officers would ex-
cuse him. If they could not. with what timid.
ity and humility ho went TO the sick-call, and
II possible he did not 90 again, or, If he had to-
he did it with moro reluctance than | can
write: aud if ordered TO hospital, went with n
greater fear than he would go into battle, and
got out as soon as he could. Every old soldier
knows grandly-braye men who were sick on
duty, and whose ambition was 81 TO never 20 to
the sick-call or hospital"
When the war was over it was something to
be proud Otto have avoided the Surgeon and
the hospital. But the lapse of years has made
these men prematurely old; the symptoms that
first appeared on the march have developed
into disease. But his company officers never
knew that he was sick; they thought that he
had more lives than cat, so they have no
testimony. Sieker than many who went to the
Surgeon, the Surgeon never knew them, no
hospital record ever held their names and
now they are getting old and poorly without q
pension. which they have we'll earned, because
they had fortitude courage, pride, and their
glory is now their impossibility. Merit brings
not reward, but hindrance of it. Was it ever
so before? In this case virtue is not its own
reward.
Now, what I want 10 say is, that Just rs few
good soldiers went 10 the Surgeon aud the hos
pital rs could not possibly avoid it. That Just
as many cotiee-cOalers, etc, went TO the Sur
geon and 10 hospital rs could manufacture a
reason TO get there. That by so doing the
poorer quality are often we'll provided for pen
sion purposes while vast multitude of heroic
men, who bore the brunt and heat of the day,
go unrequited, and there is no way TO reach
these eases except by Relief Pension Bill, and
any man who speaks against this bill, speaks
against justice 10 the men who were first in and
last out of the terrific struggles of the war
Then, too. pension business ought not to be po-
lit!cai, but all men North ought 10 stand to-
gether for justice TO the veteran. Dependent
carries with it the idea of charity, and every
loyal man is indignant at the thought of char
ity 20 those who saved this country. 1t is too
much TO hope that the South should enthusiasts
tically favor pensions, but the whole North
ought, not as q Republican or Democratic meas
ure, but as a National one This is one thing
that is too National TO be partisan.-E T..
CLoUGH. Pastor Methodist Church. Plattsyille.
Wis, Colonel, Wis y. G..